The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or UK, is in Western Europe. Itcomprises the
island of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and the northern one-sixth ofthe island of Ireland
(Northern Ireland), together with many smaller islands.

The mainland areas lie between latitudes 49°N and 59°N (the Shetland Islands reach to nearly61°N), and
longitudes 8°W to 2°E. The Royal Greenwich Observatory, near London, is the definingpoint of the Prime
Meridian. The United Kingdom has a total area of approximately 245,000 km².

The UK lies between the North Atlantic and the North Sea, and comes within 35 km (22 mi) of thenorthwest
coast of France, from which it is separated by the English Channel.

It shares a 499 km international land boundary with the Republic of Ireland. The Channel Tunnelbored
beneath the English Channel, now links the UK with France.

The physical geography of the UK varies greatly. England consists of mostly lowland terrain, with upland or
mountainousterrain only found north-west of the Tees-Exe line. The upland areas include the Lake District,
the Pennines, North YorkMoors, Exmoor and Dartmoor. The lowland areas are typically traversed by ranges
of low hills, frequently composed of chalk,and flat plains.

Scotland is the most mountainous country in the UK and its physical geography is distinguished by the
Highland BoundaryFault which traverses the Scottish mainland from Helensburgh to Stonehaven. The
faultline separates the two distinctivelydifferent regions of the Highlands to the north and west, and the
Lowlands to the south and east.

The Highlands are predominantly mountainous, containing the majority of Scotland's mountainous
landscape, while theLowlands contain flatter land, especially across the Central Lowlands, with upland and
mountainous terrain located at theSouthern Uplands.

Wales is mostly mountainous, though south Wales is less mountainous than north and mid Wales.

Northern Ireland consists of mostly hilly landscape and its geography includes the Mourne Mountains as
well as LoughNeagh, at 388 square kilometres (150 sq mi), the largest body of water in the UK.

The overall geomorphology of the UK was shaped by a combination of forces including tectonics and climate
change, inparticular glaciation in northern and western areas.

The tallest mountain in the UK (and British Isles) is Ben Nevis, in the Grampian Mountains, Scotland. The
longest river is theRiver Severn which flows from Wales into England. The largest lake by surface area is
Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland,though Scotland's Loch Ness has the largest volume.

Questions about the text

1. One sixth of the island of Ireland belongs to the 4.- The most mountainous country is...
UK.
Wales. Scotland. England.
True. False. We don't know.
5.- The largest lake in the UK is in Wales.
2.- The distance from the UK to the coast of
True. False. We don't know.
France is...
6.- The tallest mountain in the UK is in Scotland.
499 km. 35 km. 150 km.
True. False. We don't know.
3.- The UK is linked to France through the
Channel Tunnel.

True. False. We don't know.

London
London is the capital and largest city of the United Kingdom. Standing on the RiverThames in southeastern
England, 50 miles (80 km) upstream from its estuary with theNorth Sea, London has been a major
settlement for two millennia.

Londinium was founded by the Romans. The City of London, London's ancient core −an area of just 1.12
square miles (2.9 km2) and colloquially known as the Square Mile −retains its medieval boundaries.

It is the most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the busiest cityairport system as
measured by passenger traffic. It is the leading investmentdestination, hosting more international retailers
and ultra high-net-worth individuals thanany other city.

London's universities form the largest concentration of higher education institutes inEurope. In 2012,
London became the first city to have hosted three modern SummerOlympic Games.

London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages arespoken in the region.
Its estimated mid-2016 municipal population (corresponding to Greater London) was 8,787,892, themost
populous of any city in the European Union and accounting for 13.4% of the UK population.

London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Kew Gardens; the site comprising the
Palace ofWestminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret's Church; and the historic settlement in
Greenwich where the RoyalObservatory, Greenwich defines the Prime Meridian, 0° longitude, and
Greenwich Mean Time.

Other landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower
Bridge, TrafalgarSquare and The Shard.

London has numerous museums, galleries, libraries and sporting events. These include the British Museum,
National Gallery,Natural History Museum, Tate Modern, British Library and West End theatres. The London
Underground is the oldestunderground railway network in the world.

Questions about the text

1. London is the largest city of the United Kingdom.

True. False. We don't know.

2. London has the busiest airport in the world.

True False. We don't know.

3. London is the most populated city in the European Union.

True. False. We don't know.

4. How many World Heritage Sites are there in London?

2. 4. 6.

5. The London underground network is the oldest in the world.

True. False. We don't know.

Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is theUK's second largest
and most ethnically diverse city and continues to be considered thecountry's "second city". The City of
Birmingham has a population of 992,100 (2003estimate); the Birmingham metropolitan area (the West
Midlands county) has apopulation of 2,575,768. More than five million people live in the surrounding region.

The city is commonly known by its nickname Brum (from the local name Brummagem),and its people as
Brummies. Birmingham is home to the distinctive Brummie accent anddialect.

Birmingham is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the UK, with large populationsfrom the Caribbean
and Indian subcontinent: according to the 2001 census, 25.6% ofthe population of Birmingham is non-white.
The city hosts the largest number (140033)of Muslims in Britain, with regard to the percentage (14,3) it
ranks sixth among thecountry's local authorities. Birmingham also has a large Irish community, and the
cityhosts the third largest St. Patrick's Day parade in the world, after Dublin and New York.Birmingham's
balti restaurants produce some of the finest 'Indian' cuisine in the UK.

About 22 million people visit Birmingham every year and the city was voted second best place to shop in
England 2004 afterthe West End of London. Its top attractions include Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery,
Millennium Point, Bull Ring, SelfridgesBuilding, Cadbury World, Tolkien Trail, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and
the National Sea Life Centre.

Birmingham has 35 miles (60 km) of canals within the city boundaries, of which most are navigable; the
canals were once thelifeblood of the city's industries during the Industrial Revolution but are now used
mainly for pleasure. It is often quoted thatBirmingham has more miles of canal than Venice. This is in fact
true (Venice has 26 miles) although Birmingham is muchlarger than Venice.

Questions about the text

1. The City of Birmingham has a population of less than a million people.

True. False. We don't know.

2. People from Birmingham are called Brummies.

True. False. We don't know.

3. 25.6% of the population of Birmingham is white.

True. False. We don't know.

4. Birmingham hosts the third largest St. Patrick's Day parade in the world.

True. False. We don't know.

5. Birmingham has 35 miles of canals.

True. False. We don't know.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge KG FRS (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) isthe elder son of
Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, and third eldestgrandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

He is second in the line of succession, behind his father, to the thrones of sixteen independentsovereign
states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia,New Zealand, Jamaica,
Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the SolomonIslands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda,and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Consequently, he is also second
in line, again behind his father, to theposition of Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

He was educated at four schools in the United Kingdom and obtained a degree from theUniversity of St
Andrews. He spent parts of a gap year in Chile, Belize, and countries in Africa. He was commissioned as
alieutenant in the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry—serving with his brother Prince
Harry—and, two yearslater, earned his wings by completing pilot training at Royal Air Force College
Cranwell.

In 2009, the Prince transferred to the Royal Air Force, was promoted to flight lieutenant and underwent
helicopter flyingtraining in order to become a full time pilot with the Search and Rescue Force. In Autumn
2010, he completed his general andspecial-to-type helicopter training and he is now at RAF Valley on No. 22
Squadron performing co-pilot duties on the SeaKing search and rescue helicopter. Prince William married his
long-term girlfriend Catherine (Kate) Middleton on 29 April 2011at Westminster Abbey. Hours prior to his
wedding Prince William was created Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn andBaron Carrickfergus.

Questions about the text

1. Prince William is the elder son of Prince Charles.

True. False. We don't know.

2. After university he took a gap year.

True. False. We don't know.

3. Prince William is still training at Cranwell.

True. False. We don't know.

4. He's a co-pilot of the Sea King search and rescue helicopter.

True. False. We don't know.

5. Prince William was named Duke of Cambridge.

True. False. We don't know.